Music for Mars: 10 Songs to Celebrate Curiosity’s Epic Landing

The fiery Red Planet has captivated pop culture for decades. To celebrate the Curiosity rover's triumphant landing, here are 10 great songs that grapple with the mythos of Mars, extraterrestrial life and space travel — from David Bowie to the Misfits to Sun Ra.

'Life on Mars' by David Bowie (1971)

David Bowie made several references to Mars over the course of his storied career. "Life on Mars," one of his most enduring and memorable ballads, was released in 1971 on the album Hunky Dory. Bowie made his epic transformation into Ziggy Stardust a year later, in the classic 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

'Ballrooms of Mars' by T. Rex (1972)

Not to be outdone, Marc Bolan of legendary glam-rock act T. Rex recorded the song “Ballrooms of Mars” the following year, as part of the 1972 album The Slider.

'Teenagers From Mars' by The Misfits (1978)

Originally recorded in 1978 for the Misfits’ classic album Static Age, "Teenagers From Mars" sports lines like "We are the angel mutants / The streets for us seduction / Our cause, unjust and ancient / In this B-film born invasion." The chorus, which repeats "Teenagers from Mars / And we don't care / Teenagers from Mars / And we don't care," is one of the most gloriously mindless of any of the songs on this list.

'Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon' by The Flaming Lips (2002)

The Pavonis Mons, a notable volcano on the surface of Mars, was celebrated in "Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon," an instrumental from the Flaming Lips' 2002 psychedelic rock opus, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The song garnered a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance that year.

'Bird Dream of Olympus Mons' by Pixies (1991)

“Sun shines in the rusty morning / Skyline of the Olympus Mons,” sings Pixies screecher Black Francis in this track from the band’s 1991 album Trompe le Monde. The song makes an oblique reference to Mars, via the Olympus Mons, one of Mars' largest known volcanos.

'Blues on Planet Mars' by Sun Ra (1968)

Legendary jazz musician and composer Sun Ra believed he was from Saturn. He created several songs that referenced Mars over the course of his prolific career, including "Blues on Planet Mars" (above), released in 1968 with his Astro-Solar Infinity Arkestra.

'Journey to the Polar Cap' by The Martian (1993)

Techno is dense with references to outer space, but few acts used Mars imagery as well as mysterious Detroit techno outfit The Martian. “Journey to the Martian Polar Cap” was one of a string of incredible space-techno tunes on Detroit’s Red Planet (another Mars reference!) label.

'Send Me Shivers' by Mouse on Mars (2004)

Long-running left-field German electronica act Mouse on Mars sports one of the best Mars-related band names around. "Send me Shivers," from 2004 album Radical Connector, sums up the feeling we had when Curiosity landed.

'A Martian' by Ennio Morricone (2000)

Famed Italian film composer Ennio Morricone created the score for the 2000 movie Mission to Mars. Though the movie was panned by critics, Morricone’s atmospheric music, including this song, "A Martian," is a standout.